[caption id="attachment_710" align="alignnone" width="290"]<a href="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Hillari.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-710" title="Hillari" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Hillari-290x180.jpg" alt="" width="290" height="180" /></a> Hillari Shaw, SJVC student-now-business-owner, stands tall with parts of her support system on either side.[/caption]

Graduating college is a huge step in one’s life - and creating your own business after graduating is an even bigger step. Modesto Therapeutic Massage student Hillari Shaw knows what it takes in order to open her own business.

Shaw enrolled in <a href="http://www.sjvc.edu/" target="_blank">SJVC’s</a> program with a focused plan to open her own business.

“This was not a dream for me as a job, but rather a dream to incorporate a new lifestyle,” stated Shaw. Envisioning a toxin-free environment to give massages, she thought there was no better place than SJVC to start her education.Her steady focus and motivating drive kept her dedicated to her schoolwork and eager to make her dream reality.

“I collected a vision in my mind, transferred it to paper and made it a reality by accepting no less than what I had imagined,” said Shaw.She knew it would not be an easy task but with her classmates, whom she referred to as her own family, and Dean Amy Courtwright, she had the positivity and extra push to attempt her goals.

The day after finishing her last clinic at SJVC, she opened the doors to her new business, “Shh…Studio”. Turning the key on January 31 to open her own studio was a moment Shaw will never forget. It was the day she was finally able to see her dream as reality in a beautiful studio that showed her own personality and style.

“I hope that experiencing the ambiance of my studio will give people a whole new "take" on massage. I offer an organic, toxin-free environment with the appearance of the inside of a Moroccan tent - a personalized pampering session with upscale appeal.”

Congrats, Hillari!We are proud of you!